Each year there are injuries and fatalities at work sites due to construction equipment, or vehicles, backing into workers who must work around such equipment or who must cross the equipment's path during the course of their regular activities. This is largely due to the blind spots on construction equipment, especially to the rear. Although good worksite planning and safety procedures exist, dangers still exist for humans working near such equipment.
Aids such as mirrors and reversing alarms are routinely employed to reduce the risk to workers on foot. Even with mirrors, large areas surrounding the equipment are still hidden from the operator of the equipment, such as the rear area. Reversing alarms may alert a worker on foot that there is danger but this requires the worker to be alert and able to move out of danger. If a worker is injured or dazed or simply not quick enough, they may not be able to move to safety in time. Camera systems are often employed to provide the operator of the equipment with an enhanced field of view, yet camera systems provide only a passive indication of potential dangers and rely on the operator to view and comprehend the displayed camera image. Active warning systems, such as Ultrasonic, Radar and Laser based obstacle detection systems are also employed to alert the operator of the presence of an obstacle in the path of the equipment. Such systems cannot distinguish what kind of obstacle is being detected, and are thereby ineffective in differentiating between a critical asset, such as a human, and a non-critical asset such as a pile of dirt or rocks. The use of Ultrasonic, Radar and Laser based obstacle detection systems in a construction environment is also prone to nuisance alarms. The detection elements of Ultrasonic, Radar and Laser based obstacle detection systems must be positioned so that the resulting detection area is free of obstacles and clear of the ground. Such resulting element positioning makes these systems ineffective in the detection of a worker lying on the ground, or in very close and low proximity to the equipment.
In light of these situations, there is a need for an RFID safety system that overcomes disadvantages of the prior art.